WP receives more land for river park

Asia Ashley aashley@civitasmedia.com

August 19, 2014

The City of West Point now owns 124 more acres along the Chattahoochee River that was donated by the Trust for Public Land (TPL) earlier this year.

In previous years, TPL had donated land to the city to use for West Point River Park. On Friday, 101 acres of land immediately north of the park and a conservation easement over another adjacent 23 acres for the protection of its natural resources was turned over to the city from TPL.

“The City of West Point is grateful for the generous donation of the latest tract of land by The Trust for Public Land,” said West Point Mayor Drew Ferguson in a TPL press release. “The shared goal of preserving this remarkable stretch of land along the Chattahoochee has been made possible by the strong relationship between the City and The Trust for Public Land. We look forward to future ventures that benefit the environment and the residents of our area.”

Funding for the $814,000 acquisition and easement came from TPL’s Chattahoochee River Protection Program Fund, and due to the landowners’ generosity, the land was purchased for nearly half the fair market value, according to the release.

“The Chattahoochee is Georgia’s great river and The Trust for Public Land has long been committed to improving public access to it,” said Doug Hattaway, TPL’s senior project manager. “We are grateful to our generous donors for entrusting us with improving public access to the Chattahoochee River. Without their support we could not have taken on the projects that comprise West Point River Park, much less donated them to the city.”

West Point officials have plans to use the land for recreational purposes and a greenway trail system along the Chattahoochee River from the city to the West Point Dam Recreation Area.

Access to the river also supports TPL’s Chattahoochee River Blueway campaign to create a paddling route from West Point Lake to Columbus, said the release.

The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Nearly ten million people live within a ten-minute walk of a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year. Learn more at tpl.org.